Russian aid needs escort?

Can you give our listeners a little bit of information about the situation on the ground in Serbia, please?I’m standing at the administrative line between the Central Serbia and the Kosovo Province. We came here in the morning, at 9.30 a.m. and proceeded with passage from Central Serbia to Kosovo. Two trucks with humanitarian aid crossed the checkpoint, but then the procedure was disrupted and the whole convoy was blocked. We stayed for hours and only some 15 minutes ago I received a call from EULEX aide, explaining that it’s impossible for us to proceed. They insisted on escorting out convoy. I said we didn’t need any escort to go from Yarine to Kosovska Mitrovica. But he said it was impossible to go without escort or else we should go to Marbore. We didn’t go to Marbore and in this situation the whole convoy is unfortunately blocked. So, we are standing at Yarine.

Can you give our listeners a little bit of information about the situation on the ground in Serbia, please

I’m standing at the administrative line between the Central Serbia and the Kosovo Province. We came here in the morning, at 9.30 a.m. and proceeded with passage from Central Serbia to Kosovo. Two trucks with humanitarian aid crossed the checkpoint, but then the procedure was disrupted and the whole convoy was blocked. We stayed for hours and only some 15 minutes ago I received a call from EULEX aide, explaining that it’s impossible for us to proceed. They insisted on escorting out convoy. I said we didn’t need any escort to go from Yarine to Kosovska Mitrovica. But he said it was impossible to go without escort or else we should go to Marbore. We didn’t go to Marbore and in this situation the whole convoy is unfortunately blocked. So, we are standing at Yarine.

The whole convoy is stopped right now?Yes. Two trucks are on the Kosovo side and the rest of the convoy is on the side of Central Serbia.

Is this a serious problem? Do you think it will be worked out by morning?

I don’t know. I’m in communication with my authorities. We are examining the situation. We need some more time to make a definite decision.

Interview with Daniela Dragovic, a Serbian political activist.

Can you tell us a little bit about the aid? How many trucks of aid have arrived?

25 trucks have arrived. They are still on the border with Kosovo, as I know. We have out man down there, Mr. Konuzin, who is our national hero. All people in Serbia love Konuzin more than any of our politicians.

That’s nice to hear. Are they having any problems or is everything going normally out there?No, there is nothing normal out there. I have to say we have self-destruction politicians here, in Serbia, and we are intentionally being isolated from the media. Nobody, no television, no newspapers are actually talking about Russian help. But the ordinary people in Serbia, they know, and we are very, very happy. They are on the streets, all along the way.

I saw some pictures and it looked like there were some trees on the road and stuff. Did somebody set up road blocks or was that just some trees that fell on the road? What happened with that? Do you know anything about that?

I don’t know. Maybe out men on the border do. Can I say something about our movement?

Sure. You can say anything you want. This is a free radio.

We are gathering young, honest people who don’t care about politics and just want to save Serbia from the worst situation in its history. Our leader is in fact in Russia and you can contact him for more information. The biggest part of Serbian people don’t trust our politicians and put all their faith in Russia and God. They are grateful for all Russian help. I’m very excited, I’m sorry.

Is the Russian Orthodox Church active with the Serbian Church?No, I’m ashamed of telling this but our patriarch is so-called “uniate.” Our patriarch wants to cooperate with the Roman Church.

I thought there were some ties being built with the Orthodox Church as well.

I’m really sorry to tell this but we are in a very dire situation. Serbia is in a so-called silent occupation. All our political parties and their leaders actually don’t have any solution because they are in a no-exit position. We don’t have any hope and we must gather people to try to solve this situation. There are many people in our movement and we really have solutions to all Serbian problems.

What about the aid? I heard there are power units. You said there are problems with media. Are you able to use the internet there?Yes, we are very active on Facebook. We try to get more information for people who are on Facebook, on Twitter etc. that’s all. You can’t read about it in a newspaper or watch about it on TV.

Why is that? Who is responsible for that?Our government and all our politicians because they don’t want us to get close with Russia. We are on the road to Europe. And for our politicians there is actually no other way for Serbia. But it’s not so. Most of Serbian people at this time want to be closer to Russia. Most of us want to go to the Eurasian unit with Russia and other countries. This is it.

14 March 2010

According to Human Rights Watch, the two years since unilateral independence in Kosovo have not brought improvement to the position of ethnic minorities in that breakaway Serbian province.

The Human Rights Watch report, circulated in New York, sounds alarm over the position of Roma minority and calls for expansion of the EU mission's mandate and a strategy to improve the situation.

The report, however, makes little mention of the position of the one hundred thousand Serbs, which is worse than that of the other minority groups. Yelena Guskova, an expert with Slav Studies Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, comments.

Reports of this kind are all biased, she says. Serbs are living in enclaves, in wire fenced territories. They live in dilapidated buildings, they have no churches nearby, and if they need to go somewhere, they can go escorted by NATO troops because Serb territories are still in the gun sights of Albanian militants.

The former Serb province of Kosovo is where the interests of different countries clashed. The countries in question include the United States, which in fact forced Europe to recognize the independence of Kosovo, run by Albanian authorities; Russia, which wants a fairer solution to the conflict; Belgrade, which won't part with its territory; and now non-governmental organizations have stepped in. These organizations publish reports, and those not knowledgeable in this matter cite these reports. Naturally, the rights of Roma minority are important, but the rights of Serbs should be in the limelight too as the Serb community lived in this land for centuries and clings to it as their last most valuable possession.

Once again Kosovo faces a humanitarian crisis, yet another horrific freezing winter, typically ten to twenty degrees below zero for several months.

This year is different because of an electricity problem which makes the freezing conditions even more challenging to the Serbian population in Kosovo/Metohija.

The new independent government is now charging their Serbian customers 29 Euros a month, and incredibly large percentage of their monthly income. If seventy percent of a Serbian village in Kosovo doesn’t pay their bill the whole village will have their electricity turned off.

Schools and the homes of the Serbian population therefore face a problem unlike any other year in recent memory. Putting aside of the question of a permanent solution to the energy crisis in the region of Kosovo/Metohija we offer a partial short term answer for this winters heating crisis. Many buildings and homes in the region have wood stoves, and, as we all know, wood and fire wood have been in short supply for many decades.

Here is what we can do for these suffering people! We can help provide heated school buildings for Serbian children by supplying fire wood to the four schools we support as well as the homes that these children live in.

Having tried all the other stock options - from war to economic pressure - a new plan now tries to lure Transnistria into Moldova with an economic carrot and stick policy. The plan is a repeat of a failed 1924 experiment from the Soviet Union. Here, columnist John Moynihan explains why it won't work.

In a new article, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that multilateral diplomacy based on international law should manage regional and global relations. Transnistria has repeatedly asked the world community to evaluate its claim to statehood based on an objective analysis of the facts in the context of international law. Will Russia (and Transnistria) be "contained", as some in the West want, or will international law be the guiding principle of relations between peoples?

Jesus Christ was a Communist. And, according to Moldova's president Vladimir Voronin, there is nothing in the Bible which criticizes Communism. The former Soviet-era General also told his country's priests that they "had no choice but to vote for the communists."

Michael Kirby scored a diplomatic "hole in one" during Wednesday's visit to Pridnestrovie's capital. The American Ambassador held firm on his country's anti-independence position but was nevertheless well received by youth in Tiraspol. Breakthrough leadership called the meeting positive and bestowed flowers on the US diplomat.

After Russian suspension of the CFE treaty, no troop pullout is imminent and Transdniestria peacekeeping operations will continue with Russian participation. Four sides currently supply peacekeeping troops to the multilateral force. In addition, the 56-member state OSCE also participates in the peacekeeping process with military observers.

Politicians in different "frozen conflicts" in the former Soviet Union are following Kosovo's developments closely. In Nagorno Karabakh, they are seen as a way to achieve recognition under a new scenario. And in Transdniestria, the President stated that his country has a stronger historical and legal case for independence than Kosovo.

A presidential election in the unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic is shaping up to be a battle between local democraticy and international double standards. On one hand, observers and analysts consider Nagorno Karabakh's democracy to be stronger than in neighboring countries. Nevertheless, the international community refuses to recognize the right of local residents to democratically choose their political leaders.

Russia is not a key player in Northern Ireland conflict settlement, so why is it realistic to expect the EU or the USA to be key players in reaching status settlement over Pridnestrovie? Mike Averko, a New York based independent foreign policy analyst and media critic, takes a sobering look at Russia's role in the region.

Russian company Inter RAO UES has started exporting electricity from its power plant in Transnistria (officially Pridnestrovie). It is the first time in more than twenty years that the plant supplies Romania with electricity. The plant has capacity to supply more than ten times of the electricity that Transnistria uses.

newseconomyMon, 16 Jul 2007 09:38:36 -0500Times staff1083 at http://www.tiraspoltimes.com
-
PMR property reform seen as way to more economic freedom for poor
http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/news/pmr_property_reform_seen_as_way_to_more_economic_freedom_for_poor.html

The backers of a new law on private property reforms see it as a way to boost economic freedom. Aimed at giving the poor and rural population legal title to their homes, it is based on a wealth creation roadmap by Hernando de Soto. The Peruvian economist specifically had post-Soviet countries in mind when he developed the plan.

Having tried all the other stock options - from war to economic pressure - a new plan now tries to lure Transnistria into Moldova with an economic carrot and stick policy. The plan is a repeat of a failed 1924 experiment from the Soviet Union. Here, columnist John Moynihan explains why it won't work.

In a new article, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that multilateral diplomacy based on international law should manage regional and global relations. Transnistria has repeatedly asked the world community to evaluate its claim to statehood based on an objective analysis of the facts in the context of international law. Will Russia (and Transnistria) be "contained", as some in the West want, or will international law be the guiding principle of relations between peoples?

Jesus Christ was a Communist. And, according to Moldova's president Vladimir Voronin, there is nothing in the Bible which criticizes Communism. The former Soviet-era General also told his country's priests that they "had no choice but to vote for the communists."

Michael Kirby scored a diplomatic "hole in one" during Wednesday's visit to Pridnestrovie's capital. The American Ambassador held firm on his country's anti-independence position but was nevertheless well received by youth in Tiraspol. Breakthrough leadership called the meeting positive and bestowed flowers on the US diplomat.

After Russian suspension of the CFE treaty, no troop pullout is imminent and Transdniestria peacekeeping operations will continue with Russian participation. Four sides currently supply peacekeeping troops to the multilateral force. In addition, the 56-member state OSCE also participates in the peacekeeping process with military observers.

Politicians in different "frozen conflicts" in the former Soviet Union are following Kosovo's developments closely. In Nagorno Karabakh, they are seen as a way to achieve recognition under a new scenario. And in Transdniestria, the President stated that his country has a stronger historical and legal case for independence than Kosovo.

A presidential election in the unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic is shaping up to be a battle between local democraticy and international double standards. On one hand, observers and analysts consider Nagorno Karabakh's democracy to be stronger than in neighboring countries. Nevertheless, the international community refuses to recognize the right of local residents to democratically choose their political leaders.

Russia is not a key player in Northern Ireland conflict settlement, so why is it realistic to expect the EU or the USA to be key players in reaching status settlement over Pridnestrovie? Mike Averko, a New York based independent foreign policy analyst and media critic, takes a sobering look at Russia's role in the region.

Russian company Inter RAO UES has started exporting electricity from its power plant in Transnistria (officially Pridnestrovie). It is the first time in more than twenty years that the plant supplies Romania with electricity. The plant has capacity to supply more than ten times of the electricity that Transnistria uses.

newseconomyMon, 16 Jul 2007 09:38:36 -0500Times staff1083 at http://www.tiraspoltimes.com
-
PMR property reform seen as way to more economic freedom for poor
http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/news/pmr_property_reform_seen_as_way_to_more_economic_freedom_for_poor.html

The backers of a new law on private property reforms see it as a way to boost economic freedom. Aimed at giving the poor and rural population legal title to their homes, it is based on a wealth creation roadmap by Hernando de Soto. The Peruvian economist specifically had post-Soviet countries in mind when he developed the plan.